WELCOME
PRAYER
SING WORD OF GOD
SILENCE
When we come back we will pick our study back up at Acts 2:22
Okay we left off with Peter saying to the mass of devout Jews –
Acts 2.24
September 20th 2015
Act 2:22 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know,” and then continuing he said:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it.
Let’s cover these verses first and then continue as there is time.
After citing from Joel Peter then brings the audience in through a direct and intimate address, and speaking of Jesus, who in verse 22 he said was shown to be approved of God through the miracles and signs and wonders He did, Peter continues and says, speaking of Jesus –
23 “Him,” being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
“Him, (Jesus) being delivered.”
The Greek word used for being delivered is “ekdoton” and it is an interesting one because it is most commonly used to describe people who have been delivered into the hands of enemies by those who should have protected them.
All along Jesus was delivered up to people who all along the way ought to have stopped and protected Him.
I say this realizing that Him being protected was never the will of God so the point is sort of moot. Nevertheless, just because it was all determined to happen does not release those who failed Him from culpability.
Scripture speaks of the Jewish temple guards coming and delivering Him to the Chief Priests, who delivered Him to Pilate, who delivered Him to the will of the Jews instead of Barabbas, who cried for Him to be delivered into the hands of the Roman Soldiers, who delivered Him to death.
Interestingly, there were those who along the way did try and intervene in his death.
Peter was the first, lopping off the ear of Malchus – but He was corrected by the Lord.
Pilate’s wife tried to intervene as well.
And if we think about it one of the thieves on the cross also intervened in at least some poor treatment He was receiving.
But that was it – the rest participated in “delivering Him up.”
I think, however, that in light of this passage that God Himself delivered Him up too – but for entirely different reasons than the others.
I doubt very seriously that any of those who delivered Him up on earth did so because they sought to help God accomplish His will. Instead, it seems they were acting out of evil hearts – or at least selfish hearts – while God was acting selflessly.
There is an interesting parallel to this theme in the Old Testament in the story of Joseph and his brothers.
Remember, Joseph was sold by his brothers into Egypt – delivered up – because they hated him.
He suffered, but then rose above it all and was placed in a powerful position of authority by Pharaoh. A famine hit the land and his brothers, now years later came to Egypt in search of food and the man they had to stand before was none other than their younger brother whom they hated and sold many years before.
When the brothers ultimately knew Joseph’s identity, they were terrified, and Joseph said one of the greatest lines I the Old Testament to them:
Genesis 50:20 “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”
In this story and I the story of Jesus we have similar themes.
In both those who did the delivering did so out of evil intention. But the results of their evil intention “God used for good, to bring to save many people.”
It is a complex situation but from it I think we can clearly see that God interacts with Men – evil and not – to bring about His desired will.
Does He cause men to do evil? Never.
James plainly says:
James 1:13 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.”
That being said, God certainly – as in the case of Joseph, Jesus and I’m sure many others – allows them to do evil but uses it to bring about His will.
It’s a good thing to remember when we are the recipients of other peoples evil. Remember, God is in charge and He will use their evil against us for good.
This verse in Acts reads in the King James:
“Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.”
But the Syriac translation reads:
“Him, who was destined to this by the foreknowledge and will of God, you delivered into the hands of wicked men,”
And the Arabic translation reads:
“Him, delivered to you by the hands of the wicked, you received, and after you had mocked him, you slew him.”
Another
You delivered up through God’s settled purpose and foreknowledge–you by the hands of Gentiles have nailed to a cross and have put to death.
The TCNT says:
He, I say, in accordance with God’s definite plan and with his previous knowledge, was betrayed, and you, by the hands of lawless men, nailed him to a cross and put him to death.
THE YLT says:
“this one, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, being given out, having taken by lawless hands, having crucified–ye did slay;
Throughout the New Testament we are presented with the principle of God having a “foreknowledge and settled purpose of things” putting things into action through what I am certain are the free-will choices of others – often the evil free-will actions of others.
Because His intentions and purposes were foreknown, and because God tapped into the evil free-will ways of others in no way implicates God in the matter nor exonerates those who do wrong.
Here the meaning seems plain – the death of Jesus was resolved to occur by God before it took place. The truth of this is established by the predictions in the Old Testament itself and by the words of Jesus.
I guess we can surmise that nothing can be predicted or foretold by a prophet unless it has been set in stone beforehand.
The case of Jonah may be the exception but let’s stick with the general rule.
So to these devout Jews Peter tells them
that Jesus,
“being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God”
(the decree and will and foreknowledge of God which supports John 3:16 which says that “God so loved the World He GAVE (or delivered up) His only begotten Son)
They “have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.”
We could suppose it’s possible that some were present there in the crowd who had been personally involved in the death of Jesus – maybe only in some of them may have cried at His trial, “Crucify him.”
But I think Peter is speaking of the nation as a whole, since the real push came from their leaders and none came to stop it.
But take note – Peter is in the game, isn’t he? I mean the old boy is standing before the MOST devout in all of the Roman Empire in Jerusalem and what does he say to them:
“You have taken Jesus and had him crucified and slain!”
When we consider the ways and weaknesses of Peter pre-Pentecost the power of the Spirit within Him is astounding.
It hearkens back to the time of David who, having had Uriah put to death in battle so he could cover the affair and pregnancy of Bathsheba, was confronted by Nathan.
Now David was a man of blood, the most powerful in the Kingdom and known for killing people on the spot who troubled him.
Let’s read how the Lord reached into the heart of this King (the story is told in 2nd Samuel 12):
“And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: {shall…: or, is worthy to die, or, is a son of death}
6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
The parallels are profound. King David had sinned against God and delivered Uriah up to the enemies the nation battled to death. The religious leaders in the City of David delivered Jesus up in a similar manner – to the hands of gentile Romans.
Nathan called David out on his sin – at the risk of his own skin and here, at Pentecost, Peter does the very same thing.
“You have delivered the man God approved of through signs and wonders and miracles to wicked hands who crucified and slain Him.”
Who was most culpable – those who did the crucifying or those who set Him up to be crucified?
Or would you throw God in there because He knew this is what they would do and actually sent His Son to let them?
It all comes down to the heart, the motives, and the intents doesn’t it? I would suggest that by using this as out guide for culpability and guilt that the MOST culpable were Satan, the chief priests, then the Nation, us, and our sin, the Romans who merely executed what they were told to execute, and finally, God.
Something to think about.
Now notice what Peter does here. He has reminded them that Jesus was proven to be from God through the miracles He did. Then He frankly condemns them for delivering Jesus up to Roman crucifixion and death. And now he presents to these devoutly religious men that their actions would NEVER thwart God and His totally sold out eternal endorsement of the man they called Jesus. And so Peter says:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
I’m sorry to appeal to such pedantic illustrations but what Peter has done to these guys is really powerful.
It’s like when I was in fifth grade and was walking home from Scott Avenue school one day and this kid (who I didn’t know) started popping off to me and I gave him a few pops only to later learn that his older brother – who was in seventh grade at the connected Junior High School – was known as the most ruthless, knife wielding delinquent in town. Sheer terror! For weeks.
Here Peter tells these men that they Killed someone God not only approved of, God brought Him up out of the grave!
This was the main point that Peter wanted to establish in my estimation.
And what does He say God did?
“Whom God hath raised up (from the grave, from the deathbed) “having loosed the pains of death.”
Let me talk about this line, “having loosed the pains of death.”
The word loosed, (lu-oo) is the opposite of bind and is typically applied to a cord or to anything which is bound.
So to loose means to free or to liberate.
So we know that in and through Jesus God loosed “the pains of death.”
Interesting line, eh? “The PAINS of death.”
The Word for Pain here is ODEEN and it means the anguish or excruciating pangs of something – in this case “thanatos – death.
Because the word for loosed by a Jew was frequently connected to binding, tying up, or confining, it is believed that the imagery in its connection to death is that prior to Christ and His work death was a “confining” experience – a constriction of movement, limbs, and ability to move. Because of the restriction of mobility pain is associated and apparently grows as time passes.
Death, therefore, was represented under this image of a band that confined people, it pressed in closely on us, prevented escape; and produced severe suffering.
We find this imagery in the Old Testament descriptions of death.
Psalm 18:5 says “The snares of death prevented me.”
Psalms 116:3 says “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell (hades or sheol, the cords or pains that were binding me down to the grave) gat hold upon me.”
The imagery is really conveying the idea that the grave held us bound, and did NOT give up her death. This additionally produces suffering.
The imagery is really interesting in how it relates to sin and its ability to grasp, capture, and hold us bound. So in a very real sense SIN is a form of death.
Which again, Christ liberates us from here and especially beyond. Any and all sin.
It’s one of the things that has made Jesus SO deeply appealing to me personally because I am not one who appreciates ANY sort of bondage.
When He entered my life I was able to see His ability to free me from every type of captivity which sin ALWAYS produces – no matter what sin type we are speaking about.
I mean substances and crimes of the flesh are obvious in their ability to bind and torture but even crimes like meanness, gossip, and unforgiveness serve (in the end) to bind us and hold us captive.
And I guess we could suppose that the ultimate end result of sin, unforgiven and unpaid, would be utter captivity, utter bonds – which is what death offered all men prior to the work of Christ in overcoming sin and death.
For this reason it may be that hell is described anciently and in scripture as close, tight, and binding rather than open, free and liberating.
For me this only makes sense. If the end result of sin is bondage, it only makes sense if people have not been liberated of sin by faith in Christ that their immediate afterlife experience would reflect the same – and we have to wonder if those who are held captive in such a state wonder if they will EVER get free.
Ughhhhhhh!
I any case, Peter says, speaking of God –
“having loosed the pains of death of Jesus because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”
(WNT) for in fact it was not possible for Him to be held fast by death.
(TCNT) it being impossible for death to retain its hold upon him.
(BBE) because it was not possible for him to be overcome by it.
(TCNT) inasmuch as it was not possible that he should be held by its power;
(MNT) because it was not possible for death to hold him.
Let’s hit on the principle of this point. Was there death in the Garden of Eden prior to the Fall?
Nope.
Man did not deserve death for man had not sinned. I think this is interesting in the parallels we just made to sin and death.
The end result of sin is death – bondage in its ultimate form. But prior to sin death did NOT exist.
Once sin entered in, so did death. Who was it that got sin to enter in?
Satan – the master of sin, and bondage, and ultimately death.
Getting people to sin enrolled them into an afterlife of captivity in sheol – hell.
And he had the power to hold all who entered in forever – all who had paid their tuition – by sin.
Now there was a paradise in sheol or hell and there was a prison too. And paradise was apparently for those who had faith and trusted in God. But they were still held by the pains of death and were denied access to God because the blood of animals could not cleanse away the sins they DID commit.
And of course those who died in rebellion to God not believing Him entered the prison segment – appropriately named right (because what do prisons do? They hold people captive, retain them, restrict them, right?)
So Satan had the power over death – and the pains thereof – and none of us had the ability to break them.
Then came Jesus. According to Isaiah,
“to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”
Refusing to allow His flesh to rule Him, and willing to let the Spirit in Him to make every decision – out of love for God and us – He lived perfectly, died for our sin, and neither Satan nor death nor hell had any right, ability or power to hold Him.
Not deserving to die at all death had no right to keep Him bound – and the painful bands of death were broken . . . by Him . . . forever . . . and (listen) for all.
Hebrews 2:9 says “that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
Later in the same chapter, the writer of Hebrews makes the whole point more clear, saying
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
Read that line with me again – “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil AND deliver them who through fear of death were all their lives subject to bondage.”
Let me take these two lines and wrap today up discussing their contents. First,
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
When scripture says that through death He might destroy Him the had the power of death that is, the devil – we have to understand that in the English it looks like what is being said is that through His death Jesus destroyed Satan.
In reality what is being said it that “through His death (which He didn’t deserve) he destroyed the power Satan had over the world relative to death – in other words, Jesus stripped Satan’s power to hold people bound, imprisoned, chained and confined.
He truly set the captives free.
In John, well before Jesus was put to death, John has Him say:
John 12:31 “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”
What Jesus was saying was the power Satan had in the world was lost. Jesus was there on earth and Satan would be cast out by His victory over life, sin, and the grave.
Colossians 2:15 says:
“And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
Since Christ has spoiled the dark principalities and powers of Satan to hold people bound is the victory given to all people? Yes and no.
Yes, in that all people are resurrected. No in that all people are not resurrected to liberty and freedom and emancipation but to damnation and confinement.
He died for the sins of the whole world. Because He rose again ALL will rise again. But not all in the same way.
John 5:29 says “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
It appears that resurrection to life and resurrection to damnation are two very different things.
The ONLY way to be resurrected to life – which relates to unencumbered unfettered liberated existence – is through faith in the LIFE AND LIGHT who overcame sin and death and had the victory over death, darkness and damnation.
I’m not so sure people realize this – that when we say that Jesus is the light and life that it is literal. That when we speak of Him setting us free it not only applies here but more importantly it applies to our state after this life.
“Resurrected to damnation” seems to infer a resurrection that in one way or another contains elements of restriction, bondage, imprisonment – whatever that looks like in the spirit realm and again it all seems to relate to either the presence of sin (faithlessness and failure to love) in the individual who has rejected His free gift to be free.
So since Christ has spoiled the dark principalities and powers of Satan through His death Satan cannot hold people in the grave to never rise again – the victory of Christ has in this sense been given to all people.
But in another sense the total victory will only be given to some.
2nd Timothy 1:10 “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death” (that is for all), “and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
So in addition to abolishing death – and I would suggest that He abolished all death – physical and spiritual for all to experience through Him at some point in time – He ALSO brought LIFE and Immortality to light (revealing what had not been fully known in past ages) through the Gospel or Good News – which is available to all people, which saves us (from the pangs of afterlife confinement or prison) and brings all who receive it here (or there) to life and immortality.
But here’s the deal – those who have experienced the resurrection to life are those who receive Him here. Those who receive the resurrection of damnation are those who receive Him there.
The differences in the afterlife experience are, shall we say, “night and day.” To suggest otherwise is to deny the content and context of scripture.
So wrapping this up and summarizing, I think we can say the following:
The state of the Garden of Eden was liberty and freedom, peace and tranquilty and the ability to choose.
Satan persuaded Adam and Eve to sin, and as a result he had the power over sin and death.
All souls – prior to the finished work of Christ – were alienated physically from God and all, at death of the body, went to what the Hebrews called Sheol – and what we call hell – the faithless to prison and the faithful to paradise or what scripture also calls Abraham’s bosom.
The product of sin is death, which even here always winds up as confinement, bonds, restrictions, and anti-liberty.
Jesus came and overcame sin, death, and Satan and his power. Those who receive Him are given life and light here and are promised light and life here and a resurrection to life hereafter – meaning an eternal existence unencumbered, unfettered, and free.
Those who reject Jesus and His victory over sin and death and Satan will in some sense or another retain captivity after this life, as they were captive here and didn’t even know it.
We can say this because they will experience a resurrection of damnation – a resurrection of restriction, a resurrection of limitation, a resurrection of confinement.
The principles are so apparent and contiguous:
Satan Jesus
Sin Holiness
Bondage Liberty
Darkness Delivery
Ignorance Light
In Christ there is absolutely no fear of death. Without Him the fear ought to be palpable – it is to me because it means a “settled status” a resurrection to damnation verses a resurrection to life.
This brings me to a final point – no pun intended. Many of you know that based on the New Testament I personally believe that God will reconcile all beings to Himself through the finished work of His Son.
What I mean by this is because Jesus has had victory over death I believe this is all death – physical and spiritual – and that in the end (meaning the end of all peoples existences) God will reconcile all people to Himself.
But this does not mean people move from a resurrection of damnation to a resurrection of life. I believe we will reap what we sow eternally including the resurrected bodies we receive, our heavenly status before God (meaning we will either be seen as His children and joint heirs with Christ or just “the reconciled” and those who do not receive Him here will experience eternal confinements or bonds of some sort – beginning with the hell experience and ending with the limitations of what remains.
So we preach and teach and share Jesus with any and all who will see, and hear, and receive His light and life here, so they can continue to abide in it there.
Questions/Comments
Bible studies?
